The Thing with Trust
by Alcandre
Summary: Sequel to Trust Me. It's James' birthday. And Emma is completely stumped on what to get the father she's always wanted but never had. What do you get a fairy tale king? An idea hits...but will everything go as planned? Or will Emma's plan backfire?
1. Chapter 1

The start of something new. Well, not too new since this is a type of sequel to "Trust Me". This has been rolling around my head since I finished "Trust Me" and I finally made myself sit down and type out this first chapter. If you haven't read "Trust Me" I would suggest you do. Some of this story won't make sense until you do.

This takes place after Snow and Emma have been back from FTL for a while. Cora and Hook did not follow them (because that would totally mess up my plans for this) and all is as hunky-dory as it can get in a town full of fairy tale characters. And this is a prologue…so, if you are slightly confused at first, don't worry more shall be explained.

Thanks to all who reviewed "After the Same Rainbow's End". You guys make me so happy. And I can't wait to hear what you think on this one. So…that means that I need you to review. Please! Pwetty Pwease.

As always, a big, big, big thank you to Laura! She and I get each other so much. We both are so invested in these characters that we start talking about them like they are very real; like they live next door to us.

And again, I do not own "Once Upon a Time". Never have. Never will. I gain no type of profit from this story. If I did, I would not be scrapping for any little penny I can.

* * *

Emma stared at the display in the shop window. Tools seemed so…trite. Another hammer or saw wasn't going to be the best present ever. Which was what Emma wanted to get him.

She needed the perfect gift. It was James' first birthday since the curse broke and thankfully, Emma and Snow were back in Storybrooke, thanks to Regina. And Emma wanted to get her birth father something special. She wanted this birthday to be one he remembered for the rest of his life. But what in the world do you get a man who was once king of a place called The Enchanted Forest, who was married to his true love?

"Certainly not a screwdriver," Emma muttered to herself, stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, frustration very evident in her body language. "And it's not like there are weapon shops around here."

Not that he needed any weapons either. Once you have the sword that he possessed, other swords just kind of paled in comparison.

"You certainly seem miserable, Ms. Swan," a voice said from behind the blonde, causing the sheriff to turn from the display of new Black and Decker tools.

Regina stood there, looking as pristine as ever, one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on her face.

Emma shrugged and turned back to the window, her mind already going back to present ideas for her father.

That shocked Regina. Even though the two had been on better terms since Emma and Snow's return to Storybrooke, the former mayor and sheriff still loved to duke it out, verbally of course. It was more playful now, though. There wasn't as much animosity in their words anymore.

"Emma?"

Emma sighed and slowly turned back to Regina. "I'm horribly miserable," she stated, her shoulders even more slumped than before.

"And why," Regina stepped up to Emma's side. "Is that?"

"It's James' birthday."

The other eyebrow joined its twin on the brunette's face. "And that is cause for misery?" Regina asked. "I can understand if I were the one that was miserable but, my dear, he is your _father_."

A rush of air escaped Emma's mouth. "I know!" she said harshly. "That's why I'm so miserable. I have _never_ had to buy a gift for my dad. _Ever_. Sure, I've made cards and bought silly little trinkets for my foster-father but they didn't mean anything. But this…this needs to mean something."

"Ah," Regina muttered, understanding now. "Something special is needed."

Emma nodded. "I just don't know what to do," she sighed. "I've missed out on so many past birthdays and Father's Days. I want to try to make up for all those missed presents but that's…that's too much!" She shook her head. "I don't know what…" She trailed off.

"Don't know what, dear?" Regina asked, becoming slightly worried at the glazed look that was taking over Emma's green eyes.

A grin started to form on Emma's face as an idea developed. It was perfect! Completely perfect! Now all she needed was…

"Magic!" She shouted, turning to Regina.

Regina started at the shout and took a step back.

"Emma?" Regina asked hesitantly. "What's wrong with you?"

"I need your help."

"Wha-?"

"And you need to do magic for me."

"Emma, you know I don't-"

"Wait, before you refuse, let me explain."

Regina opened her mouth to protest again when she looked into Emma's eyes. There was a hope there that seemed so similar to Henry. A hope that Regina used to see every Christmas when he would ask for something special. A hope that she would see when he would ask her to come to the school play. Hope. Something Regina wasn't used to seeing in Emma Swan's eyes. And that's what cinched it for her.

"Fine," Regina stated with a firm nod. "What do you need?"

* * *

"Is it safe?"

Emma studied the purple liquid in the vial she was holding. "She said it was."

"Well, that doesn't really reassure me."

Green eyes rolled. "Really, Mom? She saved our lives."

Snow crossed her arms over her chest. "I know. I just…I don't know. It seems weird that she would do this for you."

Emma looked back at the vial and then shrugged. "She's changed," she said. "Henry sees it. I see it. Archie sees it. Why can't you?"

Snow didn't answer that. "Does Henry know she did magic?"

Emma nodded. "She spoke to him about it first. He was fine with it. In fact, he was excited about it. Thought it was cool."

Snow sighed and grabbed her daughter's hand. "If you really think it's okay…"

A firm nod was her answer. "I do."

There was that stubborn lift of her chin that Snow recognized as her own. And that glint in green eyes that was way too similar to James' to miss.

"Fine," she said. "And for the record," she stated with a grin. "I think this is a great idea."

Emma grinned back and picked up the vial, holding it up as in a toast. "Then let's make this the best birthday he's ever had."

* * *

The first thing he noticed was movement on the bed. He didn't think anything of it. Snow had a tendency to move around before actually getting up. But then, he noticed soft giggling. And it didn't sound like Snow.

He slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with a sight that took him totally by surprise.

A small blonde girl was sitting on the bed next to him, her hair slightly mussed, as if she had just woken up, and a huge grin on her face. Snow was sitting next to her, a nervous but excited smile on her face.

"Hi!" the little girl chirped.

"Um," James sat up, very grateful for the shirt and boxers he had on. "Hi."

"Mama said we could wake you up now so we could have breakfast." She looked over at Snow with big green eyes. "Didn't you, Mama?"

"I sure did, sweetie. What else do you tell him?"

James felt like he had stepped into another world. Nothing was making sense to him. _Did I drink last night? Am I having an alcohol induced dream?_

"Oh yeah!" The little girl jumped up, her little feet scrambling over the covers, and threw herself at him. Her tiny arms wrapped around his neck. "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"

"Daddy?" He whispered. He pulled back to look her in the face and nearly swallowed his tongue. Those green eyes and stubborn chin. The blonde hair and grin. "Emma?"

Green eyes lit up and she nodded. "Yep! And you're my forever-daddy! Mama said so." She pointed at Snow over her shoulder. "So, it has to be true! And she said you'll love me forever!"

James made eye contact with Snow, who just smiled and communicated that all would be explained later but that yes, this was Emma. His eyes tracked back to the little girl and he felt tears start to gather in his eyes.

"Daddy?" Emma said, her excitement slowly fading at the shocked look on the man's face. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, Emma," he breathed before he pulled her back into his arms. "It is very okay."

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Annnnndddd….here it is; the next chapter. And thank you, thank you, thank you to the ones who reviewed. You guys rock so very much! I love getting reviews. They make me write just a tad bit faster.

As always, thanks to Laura, who puts aside her busy schedule to look over my chapters and stories and points out stupid mistakes that I kick myself for making (i.e. your and you're). OMG, I actually cringed when I saw _that_ mistake in this chapter. Thank goodness only one other person saw that!

And, of course, I don't own OUAT. Derh!

* * *

"So, she doesn't remember being an adult?"

Snow shook her head and looked over at their daughter, who was watching TV with a fascinated look on her face. "The last thing she remembers is meeting me in the Enchanted Forest a few weeks ago when she first turned into a little girl again."

James narrowed his eyes. "Is this okay, then? I mean, she isn't stuck like this, is she?"

"No, she made sure it only lasted for a day," Snow answered. "She said Regina made it to last from sunup to sundown."

"Regina?" James asked, alarmed.

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Snow said, turning back to the stove to flip a pancake. "But Emma says she trusts her. So, I trust Emma. You know Emma doesn't give trust out very easily."

James nodded and slowly let a grin take over his face. "Well, this is probably the best birthday present I've ever gotten," he said, kissing Snow's cheek. "What about the Sheriff's station?"

Snow grinned. "If anything happens, they're going to call me."

James raised an eyebrow. "You?" he said with a laugh.

"Well, the Sheriff is now six years old and her deputy will be hanging out with her all day. Emma figured that the next best person to take over if something were to go wrong would be me."

James shook his head. "You two thought of everything."

"Oh, this isn't my present," Snow answered with a smirk. "That comes later tonight when Emma's in bed."

A laugh from the blonde stopped James from making any remark on that. He just grinned, kissed his wife again, and made his way over to his daughter.

"Hey, Princess," he said, sitting on the sofa next to her.

She pulled her gaze away from the TV and grinned. "Hey, Daddy!" She pointed at the television. "I'm watching TV." The excitement in her voice confused James but he just went with it.

"I see," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "What are you watching?"

"It's a cartoon about a rabbit and he's being chased by this bald man with a funny voice."

"Bugs Bunny?"

Emma shrugged and turned back to the television as Bugs started singing. "I dunno, I've never seen it before."

"You've never seen Bugs Bunny?" James asked. That shocked him. He thought all kids knew Bugs.

Emma shook her head. "No." She snuggled into James' side. "I wasn't allowed to watch TV when I lived with Charlie. He wouldn't let me."

James had heard about this "Charlie" from Snow and it took all he could do not to seethe with anger at just his name.

"Why not?"

Again, the little girl shrugged. "I dunno," she stated as she stared at the screen and Bugs' antics. "He let Johnny watch it."

"Johnny?"

"His real son."

Again, James wanted to punch this Charlie in the face. But his daughter's innocent voice stopped him.

"What's Mama doing?"

"Making a special breakfast just for my birthday."

Green eyes widened and the little body pressed against his seemed to wiggle with excitement. "What?"

James grinned and leaned down to whisper in Emma's ear. "Chocolate chip pancakes."

Emma's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "Really?"

"Yep," James said. "With whipped cream."

The little girl suddenly threw her arms around James' neck. "Thank you, Daddy! I've never had chocolate chip pancakes before! This is gonna be awesome!"

* * *

"Can I have some milk?" Emma asked Snow as the brunette placed a plate with a pancake in front of the child.

"Sure, sweetie."

Emma jumped up from the table and hurried to the refrigerator. "I can get it!" She exclaimed with a grin.

Snow smiled and winked at James, who was just sitting down to the table. "I'll get you a glass, how's that?"

"Okay," Emma said with a grunt as she heaved the gallon of milk out of the door of the fridge. "Will you help me pour it?"

"Of course," Snow answered.

James watched all of this with a smile. If he let himself, he could just imagine that the curse hadn't happened and this was how their life was going to be from now on. But a shattering of glass broke him out of his thoughts.

Emma was on her knees on the kitchen floor, surrounded by milk and pieces of glass. Her shocked look told him everything. Her tiny six-year-old hands weren't used to holding a glass of that size. Their cabinets didn't have child-size glasses. And Emma had dropped the glass full of milk.

"Emma!" He yelled as he jumped up. He ran over to her and his wife, who was kneeling on the floor beside the little girl.

At his yell, Emma flinched and scooted away from him and Snow. "I'm sorry," she said softly, tears already running down her cheeks. "I didn't mean to," she whimpered.

He carefully dropped to his knees in front of her, seeing her flinch again. "Are you okay?" He asked both Snow and Emma. "Are either of you cut?"

Snow shook her head, but her eyes were trained on the little girl, still cowering in front of them. James turned his attention back to his daughter.

"Emma?"

She inched away from him a little more. "I'm really sorry, Daddy. I'll clean it up. I promise."

James felt his heart break. She looked like an abused animal; the cowering, the whimpering, her eyes refusing to meet his. All the signs were there.

"Emma," he said softly. "It's okay." He gently placed a hand on her head, making her look up then quickly look back down. "I'm not mad at you."

That made her green eyes shoot back up to his. "You aren't?"

He shook his head. "No, I know it was an accident."

She nodded frantically. "It was! I didn't mean to drop the glass!"

"Exactly," he said with a grin. "So, I'm not mad."

"Then why did you yell?"

"I was worried that you had hurt yourself," he answered. "Did you? Are you okay?"

Emma's brow furrowed and she studied him, as if seeing him for the first time. "You were worried about _me_?"

"Of course," he said. "You're my baby. I love you and don't want you to get hurt."

"You love me?" She bit her lip. "But you don't know me."

"Yes, I do," James said, not noticing the milk slowly seeping into his jeans. "You're my daughter. You like Bugs Bunny and you're excited about these amazing pancakes your mother just made. And I can't wait to go on a picnic with you for lunch."

A smile slowly spread across Emma's face. "We're going on a picnic?" Her eyes darted between Snow and James, as if getting confirmation from both of them.

Snow grinned. "If that's what the birthday boy wants…" she said.

"That's what I get," James finished. "Now, let's clean this up together," he pointed at the spilt milk and broken glass. "And eat these awesome pancakes, okay?"

"Okay!" Emma said excitedly, the accident completely forgotten.

But, as they cleaned up the mess and sat down to breakfast, James couldn't get his daughter's cowering form out of his head. And he got angry. One day, he thought. He just needed one day with this Charlie jerk. He hurt his baby girl. He continuously hurt his little princess for just being a little girl. Once his birthday was over, James felt that he really wanted to find Charlie and show him what it was like to be picked on someone big enough to fight back.

To be continued…

A little side note here: For those of you who were also reading the Holiday Series, I'm currently working on the next one. Be ready for it! Woot! And tell your friends!

Also…REVIEW! It's easy. The little review box is now on the same page as the chapter. You don't even have to click a link to get there. Wow, isn't technology great?!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, this is it. The last chapter of "The Thing with Trust". Now, don't fret, wonderful people. I knew this story wasn't going to be very long but I wanted to write it since I love Daddy/Daughter relationships. And Emma would totally be a Daddy's Girl. So, I did. I wrote this and fell in love with it. Thanks to all the wonderful people who have reviewed! You guys are so totally awesome! And keep an eye out for the next Holiday Series story. I'm in the process of writing it now.

A huge, wonderful thank you to Laura. She rocks so much! Even with her busy life she gets these chapters back to me! I love you, Laura!

And again, I don't own OUAT.

* * *

Emma hadn't wanted all of Storybrooke to know. It wasn't like it was a shameful secret but she just felt that it was a family thing. So, she told Snow what she was planning. Well, Snow being Snow really wanted to tell her best friend. So, she gave Red a call, gushing about how sweet and thoughtful her daughter was. After hearing about the plan, Red couldn't agree more. So, naturally, she told Granny.

So, when the citizens of Storybrooke saw their king and queen leaving their apartment with a small blonde girl between them holding their hands, they felt proud, happy, slightly jealous, but above all relieved that something had finally gone right for the Charming family.

Emma gripped her parents' hands tighter and grinned. They were going on a picnic! She had never been on a picnic before. But she knew it was gonna be great! Her mama had said that they were gonna play and talk and eat…and it was all gonna happen outside!

"Are we gonna walk there?" Emma asked as they started down the sidewalk.

"Yep," James said, grinning down at his little girl. "Is that okay?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, that's okay." She took a few more steps and then looked back up at James. "Can you carry me, Daddy?"

James felt his mouth twitch into a smile and saw Snow's grinning face as well. "I guess that would be okay," he answered. "As long as your mother is okay with holding the basket." He held up the picnic basket, filled to the brim with food and drinks.

"It'll be okay," Emma answered for her mama. "She's strong," she said, flexing her own little arm muscles. "Mama can do anything!"

Snow laughed as she took the basket from James. "I don't know if I can do anything, Emma."

"But you can, Mama!" Emma protested, turning to look up at her mom. "You've made my bad dreams really little!" She held up her forefinger and thumb, showing just how little her bad dreams had become.

"Really?" Snow asked, her eyes wide.

Emma nodded. "Yeah! I don't wake up crying anymore!"

At that, Snow felt like crying herself but a quick look at James and his soft smile stopped that feeling. "Well, sweetie, I'm really glad I could do that."

Emma grinned and turned back to her father. "Pick me up, Daddy! I wanna ride on your shoulders and be really tall!"

James didn't hesitate. It could have been because he had always wanted to carry his daughter on his shoulders. He had often thought about playing horsie with her. When they had confirmed that Snow was in fact having a little girl, James' imagination went wild with all the fun he and his daughter could have. He would attend her tea parties with her dolls, he would be her prince to her damsel, and he would carry her on his shoulders.

Or maybe he didn't hesitate because the shining green eyes that looked up at him melted his heart.

Or maybe it was both.

It was probably both.

But as he walked down the street, his wife at his side, her arm looped through his, and his daughter on his shoulders, her little hands gripped under his chin, he felt the happiest he had ever felt. And while it scared him just a little bit (since happiness, like magic, seemed to always come with a price), he relished it. This was perfect.

* * *

"Here! Here!" Emma squirmed on her father's shoulders. "This is the perfect spot!" She exclaimed.

The two adults couldn't agree more. They had made their way to a small hill that overlooked their little town. The grass was green, the birds were singing, and a tree stood at the top of the hill, a beacon for all picnic-goers. The spot was indeed perfect.

James carefully lowered Emma to the ground, who took off like a shot the moment her feet hit. As the blonde took off, James took the basket from his wife and grinned. "She's got a lot of energy."

Snow giggled. "She certainly does." They followed Emma up the hill and started setting the picnic up under the tree. "And I think it comes from not being able to be a little kid at her foster homes."

James watched as Emma ran up to the tree, tapped it and then ran around it, giggling the entire time. That is, until she tripped over a protruding root and fell to her hands and knees.

James calmly walked over to her, knowing that if he showed panic she would react in kind. But as he got closer, he could hear her little sniffles and even see a few tears fall down her cheeks.

"Emma?" He asked as he knelt beside her.

She looked up at him with watery green eyes and rolled over onto her bottom, holding her hands palms up. "I fell," she stated.

"I know," he answered. "Are you okay?"

She looked down at her scrapped palms and then at the dirtied knees of her jeans. "I was running and I tripped. It hurt."

James wondered why she was giving him a play by play of what happened but he just sat there and let her continue.

"I fell on my knees," she pointed to said knees. "And my hands," she held up her hands again.

"Do they hurt?"

She nodded and scooted closer to him. "I think my hands are bleeding." She studied her hands and then shoved her palms in James' face. "Are they?"

A little blood was on her palms, but not enough to get worried about. But he went with it.

"There is a little," he stated. "What should I do?" he asked, holding her hands gently in his. "I don't have any medicine."

She studied him, as if to see if he was lying about not having medicine. But then she nodded. "Maybe if you kiss them."

James gave a soft smile. "Kiss them? You mean, like this?" He very gently kissed one of her palms and then looked up at her, as if making sure that was okay.

She nodded and gave another sniff.

He kissed the other palm. "Does that feel better?"

She looked back at her palms and then back at James before she gave another nod. "Yeah, it does."

"Good," he said before pulling her into his arms. "Then I want a hug as payment."

She didn't even hesitate to throw her little arms around his neck.

* * *

"I'm stuffed," James said as he wiped his hands on his napkin.

"Me, too," Snow answered. "That was great."

"Especially the eight layer chocolate cake," James replied with a grin. He put his arm around his wife's shoulder and pulled her close. "When did you make that?"

"Yesterday," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "While you and Emma were at the station."

"Well, it was perfect. But, I am glad you only brought a slice for each of us and not the whole cake. I think Emma would have eaten it all."

They both looked over at their daughter who was currently finishing up her slice of cake. Her little brow was furrowed as she used her fork to scrap every bit of icing off of the paper plate in her lap.

"Emma," Snow stated with a grin. "I think you've got it all."

She looked up and then back at her plate. "But it's so good, Mama! Do we have anymore?" He eyes widened at the thought of more cake.

James chuckled. "You can have more later, Princess. I think if you eat anymore you might explode."

Emma's eyes widened even more but then narrowed. "People can't explode, Daddy."

James felt Snow give a small twitch, which told him that she was trying her hardest not to laugh at their daughter.

"How do you know?" he asked with a smirk.

Emma's mouth opened, as if she was going to say something else but then closed with a snap. "Really?" she asked softly. "Can people really explode?" James could see her thoughts running through her head.

"James, stop," Snow said, pushing him in the stomach. "You're scaring her."

"I don't know," he muttered. "Look at her face."

Emma was now grinning.

"Emma?" Snow asked.

Green eyes widened again and Emma shot to her feet. "That would be so cool!" she stated loudly. "If someone ate so much, they exploded!" She threw her hands up in the air, illustrating what would happen. "They would go 'boom!' and then body parts would go all over the place!"

James and Snow sat there in silence as their daughter continued explaining what that would be like.

"I blame you," Snow muttered as their daughter threw herself to the ground with a loud _kablooey!_.

"Me?" he whispered back. "Why me?"

Snow shrugged. "Why not you? She's loud and rambunctious like you."

Emma giggled and stood up again only to "explode" one more time.

"Okay," James finally said. "Maybe she does get it from me."

* * *

"But I don't wanna go to bed," Emma muttered sleepily.

"Sweetie," Snow said softly. "You are exhausted. You need to go to bed."

"No," Emma argued, shaking her tousled blonde head.

"What if I read you a story?" James asked. His little girl was in an oversized t-shirt and was freshly cleaned after a fun filled bath. He hated to see this day end (especially since it also meant his time with little Emma was almost over) but he knew it needed to end eventually.

"Will you read me a story with knights and dragons?" she asked excitedly.

James grinned and winked at Snow, who laughed softly. "I'll do one better," he said as he picked his daughter up. "I'll tell you a true story about knights and dragons."

Snow watched her true love and their daughter make their way to her room with a small yet sad smile. Having Emma being 6 again was amazing. They got to experience a little of what it was like to have a small child. And she loved it. Emma was wonderful. She was full of energy, loving, and playful. And even though she definitely had her demons to deal with, it didn't seem to slow the small blonde down or make her heart any smaller.

"That was quick," the brunette said as James came down the stairs soon after.

"She was out like a light before I could even say 'Once upon a time'," he answered. "Now," he grinned. "I do believe you promised me a birthday present."

Snow grinned. "Did I?" She put her finger to her chin as if she were trying to remember. "I don't know if I recall-"

James didn't let her finish. He just captured her lips with his and led the way to their bed.

* * *

A bouncing on the bed awakened him. And that was weird. Snow didn't bounce. In fact, she usually slipped out of bed without waking him. And the bouncing continued.

"Wake up!"

His eyes popped open at that. The voice was very familiar. But the tone wasn't.

And the head full of blonde hair that greeted his open eyes confused him even more. His daughter, now back to being almost 29 years old was on her hands and knees on the bed with a grin stretched across her face.

"Time to get up, Daddy," she said, her tone playful and light. "You can't sleep the day away, ya know."

He didn't think. He just reacted. He would later apologize for taking her off guard but that was later.

He sat up, threw his arms around her and pulled her down beside him. A small 'omph' left her mouth as she hit the bed but she didn't struggle to get away from him.

"Thank you," he whispered. "That was the best birthday I have ever had."

He felt her stiffen in his arms and pulled back a little. He studied her face, which looked a little unsure and raised an eyebrow at her.

"It was?" she asked, her tone completely different from just a few seconds ago.

He nodded. "It was wonderful."

"So," she hesitated and narrowed her eyes. "It wasn't weird?"

"Weird?" he asked. "That was far from weird. I lived in a world full of fairies, magic, and dragons. This was amazing. And don't you dare think otherwise." He finished with an affirmative nod.

She studied him a little closer but then finally gave a small answering nod, as if telling herself that everything was okay. "Good," she said as she sat up. "I knew I couldn't get you a toolbox."

"A toolbox?"

She nodded as he sat up beside her. He noticed Snow standing at the foot of the bed with a mug of coffee in her hands. She smiled at him, which he answered with a smile of his own.

"You have tools," Emma continued, shoving her bare feet under the covers of the bed. "And I didn't know where to even start looking for weapons."

"Weapons?" James shook his head. "Really, Emma?"

She just smirked. "I didn't know what to get a man who is my age but is my father. It's almost as bad as being my own grandpa."

James barked out a laugh while Snow just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Do you remember everything?" James asked after a little bit.

Emma nodded with a shy smile. "All of it. Especially the ride on your shoulders."

James grinned and tousled his adult daughter's hair. "Don't ask me to do that again anytime soon, Princess. I don't think I can lift you anymore."

Emma let out an exaggerated gasp. "Are you calling me fat, Daddy?"

James gave her a soft tickle in her side. "Not a chance," he said as she giggled and scooted away from him. "I know better."

"Emma," Snow suddenly said, sitting down at the foot of the bed. Her serious tone made both father and daughter look over at her. "Can I ask you a question?"

Emma frowned but gave a nod. "Sure."

"What ever happened to Charlie?"

The silence that descended over the room was heavy. Emma looked like she had been punched in the stomach and she closed her eyes. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"He's dead," she said softly.

"What?" James asked in shock. "Dead?"

Emma nodded and opened her eyes, revealing, not sadness, but hate and anger. "When I left the system, I was full of anger. And hate. After all that I had gone through for all those years, he was one person that I continued to fear would come back and find me. So, when I was eighteen, I decided to see if I could find him first. And I did."

"Emma, you didn't," Snow began.

"No," Emma interrupted. "I didn't kill him. I got him arrested. He was still living in that same dirty house with that same horrible woman. And he was still beating up on a little kids. So, I called the cops on him. They came in, arrested him, took the kids away, and I thought that was that."

"It wasn't?" James asked.

Emma shook her head. "I found out later that he was killed in prison by some guy who realized that Charlie had beat up on his little girl."

"You mean," Snow started. "The guy in prison's daughter was in Charlie's house?"

Emma nodded. "Killed him in his sleep one night. And for the longest time, I thought maybe that guy was my father. Ya know, that he was getting revenge for me." She gave a bitter smile. "He wasn't, obviously."

"Obviously," James stated. "Cause I would have beaten Charlie to within an inch of his life. He wouldn't have died. Just been in some horrible pain."

Snow just stared at her husband. Emma burst out laughing.

"My dad is so cool!" She exclaimed with a grin.

James gave a sheepish grin at Snow then pulled her into a hug. "Relax, Snow," he muttered. "I would have let you get a few hits in."

That made Emma laugh even louder while Snow just frowned.

"A few!?" She huffed. "I would need more than a few, Charming!"

Emma stopped laughing out of shock but then collapsed on the bed in a fit of giggles.

"I have the weirdest family," she said after her giggles had died down.

Snow and James just smiled at her from their cuddled position.

"And I wouldn't change that for the world."

The End

PLEASE review! I beg of you! I need the reviews! I live for them! They make me so very happy. And you want to see me happy, right? Right? RIGHT?!


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